(CNN) - President Barack Obama is closely matched in hypothetical head-to-heads with 2012 Republican presidential candidates, according to a poll released Monday.

The Gallup survey showed Obama within the sampling error among registered voters when pitted against Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney led the president 48 percent to 46 percent while Obama was tied with Texas Gov. Rick Perry at 47 percent. The president led Rep. Ron Paul of Texas by two percentage points with 47 percent and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota with four percentage points at 48 percent.

The new figures are similar to those from a recent CNN/ORC International Poll released earlier in August, which showed Obama ahead of Perry by five percentage points, Bachmann by six percentage points and Romney by one percentage point.

Gallup surveyed 879 registered voters by phone August 17 through August 18 with a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

To many welfare and Medicaid recipients!!! Is the only point you need..

August 23, 2011 03:57 pm at 3:57 pm |

Democrat Class Warfare - Destroying the economy, destroying the country

Since both Obama and the Republican candidate for POTUS will be doing so
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There isn't a single Republican candidate for president that would be caught dead driving around in the Battle Wagon from Mordor!

it's balanced out for a net of zero.
===========================
Which pretty much describes Obama. Except taxpayers are now out over $2,000,000 for these useless POS busses. If the occupant is attacked, these monstrocities are supposed to make a fast get away? Or maybe they contain a rocket powered escape pod? Just when you thought the government couldn't possibility waste any more money, they prove you wrong. then again, Obama has been the master of wasting money.

August 23, 2011 03:57 pm at 3:57 pm |

WhatDoThey DoForYou

No American citizen who is poor, elderly, sick, a minority, or disadvantaged should ever vote Republican again! The Republicans would just as soon gladly see you continue to suffer under their dominance. That is what you've been seeing but many who fall into those groups were looking through rose-colored glasses and refusing to see the forest for the trees, that's why they voted Republican before but now they have seen what Republicans have brought them. Nothing Good At All! And that was then, but this is now.

Today, things have drastically continued to Spiral Downwards with Republicans coming out openly and telling you how they are going to take away your rightfully-deserved Social Security and other entitlements that you paid for thirty, forty, or more years ago and that you deserve to get now in your retired and golden years. Yet with Republicans in office you may see all of that dwindle to nothing as they will not raise a hand to help the poor, the middle-class, and the elderly. That is not their cup of tea. What is joyfully their cup is the TeaParty! They walk lock-step with those in that party who want to diminish and truly take away that which our forefathers left for us when we reached our golden years.

So, wake up and smell the coffee people! The Republicans are NOT your friends unless your are very wealthy, of the elite class of people and can contribute substantially to their coffers. They also refuse to tax big businesses and instead are aiming to continue to Tax You, who don't have one one-hundredth of what the rich have. Take it from that! So, those who are elderly, poor, sick, and disadvantaged who continue to vote Republican will have little to nothing left to call their own while Republicans, happy with your vote, will take what little else you have left so that the richest of the rich Americans can continue to have a BIG Tax Break! *That* is what is happening and what has been happening. It is time you fully realized how you are digging your own grave by supporting Republicans in each election!

August 23, 2011 04:03 pm at 4:03 pm |

Rickster

"The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 19% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty-five percent (45%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -26"
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Worst President Ever.

August 23, 2011 04:06 pm at 4:06 pm |

V. Clausewitz

39% approval rating for Obama, Christ, the Dems don't even like him. Put a fork in him, he's finished.

August 23, 2011 04:07 pm at 4:07 pm |

CCMars

Wait, 879 people out of how many registered to vote in this country? That's kind of insignificant, isn't it? All these polls are kind of overkill.

@Democrat Class Warfare – Correction: you and your ilk started thinking of President Obama as some sort of Messiah or cult leader, not anyone else. You've all said it so much that you convinced yourself this is the case. I don't need to get into how much the rest of it is BS. I've become less convinced that you're a troll, and more that you've become so desperate to get back to the 2000-2008 "status quo" that it's made you lose your mind.

August 23, 2011 04:08 pm at 4:08 pm |

dirtystone

Yep. Perry will be tough to beat because he has a great economy to run on, vs. Obama who has such a dismal pathetic record to run on with an awful economy, and no real accomplishments to list.

August 23, 2011 04:13 pm at 4:13 pm |

BodySnatcher

Galloping along with Gallop.

August 23, 2011 04:14 pm at 4:14 pm |

Melo-D

And I'm sure nothing will change between now and the election in 15 months. These polls are a complete waste of time and effort. Only partisan hacks will try to spin this as anything remotely relevent to the actual election.

August 23, 2011 04:21 pm at 4:21 pm |

Lynda/Minnesota

"Slooooooow news day huh CNN?"

Between $illy $arah, porn dog, ummm, I mean corn dog Perry, (and never to belittle the baiting coming from the right overly much because they DO try so hard after all), I'd say CNN got it's "clicks" for the day. I've almost forgotten what REAL news is anymore. Chalking it up as too many Republican candidates with too little substance running for president.

August 23, 2011 04:30 pm at 4:30 pm |

Sue

"39% approval rating for Obama, Christ, the Dems don't even like him. Put a fork in him, he's finished."

Nope, now it is only 38%, based on the newly released Gallup poll

August 23, 2011 04:33 pm at 4:33 pm |

Tea Party Mike

All of Obama's big government spending policies have failed the economy and the American people.
Obama has succeeded in convincing the private business sector that he is anti business and convinced them they need to sit tightand hold their cash because they don't know what Obama is going to do to them next.
Obama has succeeded in convincing independent voters that he is not a centrist.
Obama has succeeded in convincing a majority of voters that he is clueless on how the economy works, how jobs are created and that he and the Democrats in congress can not be trusted with America's check book.
All this will spell certain defeat for Obama in 2012.
If you do not have a job and want one, vote Republican.
If you have a job and want to keep it, vote Republican.

Maybe you will believe the other (2) newly released polls showing the exact same thing on the Realclearpolitics site. One of the polls is put out by Democrats!!

OUCH!!

August 23, 2011 04:38 pm at 4:38 pm |

Democrat Class Warfare - Destroying the economy, destroying the country

Obama might have gone to Harvard (wonder why ZERO transcripts have been released?) and many people claim he is "smart" (again, anybody know his course grades? Did he ever take a finance or economics course?) but the results don't lie. Even many in his own party find it hard to deny his failure after 3 years of it.

the American people were conned by the Democrats and the MSM in 2008. They were sold a slick teleprompter reading snake oil salesman. This poll shows far too many have come back to reality and will not be conned again in 2012.

August 23, 2011 04:38 pm at 4:38 pm |

Sue

Just wait until Romney releases his "jobs plan"-–just days after Obama reads the teleprompter to discuss his jobs plan.

ONE AND DONE!!

August 23, 2011 04:40 pm at 4:40 pm |

Bill

Political polls of any kind at any time are rarely more than 1,000. I sit here amused and saddened by the "passion" of the far left and the far right. Man, you guys just hate each other. And the pathetic part is, you truly believe that if someone does not agree with you, that means they are either corrupt or stupid. Newsflash "true believers" this election,as with the several elections before this .... will NOT be won by the votes of the far left OR the far right. You guye each have about 25 percent support. We here in the middle, the true moderates ... who could vote Republican OR Democrat OR third party ... have the true power. We elected Reagan and Clinton and both Bush's and Obama. Keep spewing your venom, you fans of Beck and Maddow and Limbaugh and Olbermann. Then you children can sit down, shut up and let the grown ups make the important decisions. You CANNOT ever run the country with a far left or far right agenda. Compromise is mandatory. Grow up.

August 23, 2011 04:47 pm at 4:47 pm |

Atlanta Independent

I am reading these comments it show how racist american is and it sad that Bush destroy our country this president have more to help American then Bush. President went on vacation 61 times and Bush went 181 time his first term. So I am going to vote out the teabaggars.

August 23, 2011 04:52 pm at 4:52 pm |

drc

Shocking when the majority of Americans do NOT approve of the way the current fool in chief is handling anything from the economy to spending to his constant blame game. Keeping in mind I did not vote for Bush, I certainly am not foolish enough to vote for the current moron who from the way he has failed to lead could probably not even run a profitable lemonade stand in the desert.

August 23, 2011 04:54 pm at 4:54 pm |

Get some color in the White House!

President Obama polls number are bad not only because of the economy but, he will not meet with people of color. President Obama talks at them,but will not do a town hall meeting. The president Obama will give a speech at the LaRaza or NAACP.but will not take questions. I think President Obama is getting bad advise. After the midterm shellacking the President bought in right wing chief of staff and other advisers that have annoyed the minority voting block. If you have a black president that can't meet with his own voters then his deserve to loose. It's time the President get rid of his bad advise. Get some color in the White House.

August 23, 2011 04:55 pm at 4:55 pm |

drc

He best hope the economy turns around in the next 12 months, which is highly unlikely with no plan, ideas or anything other than spending more money. With that said, BYE BYE Bammy

August 23, 2011 04:57 pm at 4:57 pm |

BinFL

You Repub/Tea Pariters on here are really out of touch with reality. Must be the Fox News effect. If you don't realize that this President has been blocked at every turn from both Repub/Tea Partiers and Blue Dog Dems then you get what you deserve when you vote. Before President Obama was even inaugurated Rush & friends were calling for his failure...that was truly disgusting and, of course, like good little sheep, all the Repubs fell in line with that thinking. No matter what the President proposes, they go against, even if it was their idea in the first place, like mandatory purchase of health insurance for example. That was a Republican idea that is now taboo to all of you. It's really funny too that you all preach personal responsibility but it's ok if people choose not to have health insurance so the rest of us can pay for their healthcare. isn't that you all rail against!! I just don't get the talking out of both sides of the mouth that the Repubs do. President Obama was getting our country moving in the right direction until the 2010 midterms and then all he** broke loose. Haven't any of you noticed that gas prices shot up right after the Repubs took over the House – this was their first step in destroying the economy so they could blame Obama. At any rate, Obama WILL BE RE-ELECTED as the altermative would be disastrous!!

August 23, 2011 05:00 pm at 5:00 pm |

Jack Mihov

Ron Paul 2012!

Ignore the trolls, register and vote for Ron!

August 23, 2011 05:01 pm at 5:01 pm |

Jair

Only 879 calls and a 4% sampling error? Not a statistics expert but the sample size seems way too low. Also, did they ask each caller to comment on all 4 hypotheticals or did they split the calls 4 ways, reducing the sample size even lower. It doesn't seem clear from the article.

August 23, 2011 05:01 pm at 5:01 pm |

Jair

Ahh, Bill, thanks for clarifying that under 1,000 is the norm. I was not aware. I'm very curious about the 4 hypotheticals being asked of the same callers. It would seem that would skew the numbers and a more accurate method would be to make more calls separately, but oh well.